If You Enjoyed Fallout, You Will Enjoy These Gems! (III)

 

If You Enjoyed Fallout...

 

 

    With the first season out for the Fallout Series on Amazon Prime, one fact remains: It will be a long wait before a second season happens.  So, why not enjoy some more post-apocalyptic media while this long wait is in progress?  In this Article, I will be talking about some similar post-apocalyptic fiction you would likely enjoy if you enjoyed the Fallout Streaming Series or the Fallout games in the series.  So without much further ado, here we go with some films, books, and games with that post-apocalyptic vibe!

 

The Postman

 

 

    A film starring and directed by Kevin Costner regarding a man working as a “Postman” in a Post-Apocalyptic and Balkanized Former United States of America.  Kevin Costner stars as a homeless drifter in the Post-Apocalyptic American wasteland who stumbles upon an abandoned mail carrier uniform, and ultimately decides to deliver the Mail between settlements in the fragmented former United States of America.  The plot escalates further as the new self-declared Postman decides to make a campaign to reunite the broken United States against the wishes of his adversary, a warlord named General Bethlehem played by Will Patton.  Those who enjoyed the idea of a mail carrier or a courier making a change, like in the Fallout game known as Fallout New Vegas, May feel at home with the atmosphere of this post-apocalyptic film in which a mailman becomes a force for rebuilding America.

Nausiccaa of the Valley of the Wind

   

 From Studio Ghibli comes Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind.  The film is Directed by Hayao Miyazaki and is adapted from a manga which he had written from 1982 until 1994.  The details of the exact war which caused the current feudalistic factions in the world to exist are not known, but similar to the other post-nuclear apocalypse films, the radiation, pollution, and mutants are very much present in the animated film.  The plot revolves around Princess Nausicaa, a princess of The Kingdom of the Valley of the Wind.  

    Unlike the Fallout Games, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind occurs over one thousand years after the nuclear holocaust, presumably in the late 20th century.  Like many Fallout protagonists, Nausicaa and her decisions carry an impact on the world and those in it, the film carries a story and unlike most of the recommended media I have mentioned so far, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind approaches more of the Post-Post Apocalyptic setting with the rising kingdoms in the story, somewhat similar to the kind of world found in New Vegas or Fallout 2.

    The film was released in Japan back in 1984.  However, a more faithful translation to English and other languages did not occur until 2005, distributed by Walt Disney Pictures.  The film is worth seeing as a film that portrays a post-apocalyptic world in a less hard-R rated nature and still delivers on emotional moments and fantastical moments, along with delivering a message on how horrible and counterproductive violence and war can become as a failure to understand and cooperate between people or nations.

Vampire Hunter D

    Unlike previous recommendations here, Vampire Hunter D, on the surface, is a horror film with a combination of supernatural and science fiction.  Set in the far future of the 13th Millennium A.D., Vampire Hunter D follows the exploits of a Dhampir or Half-Vampire named D.  The world was engulfed in Atomic Fire back in the dawn of the 21st century, after which Vampires conquered the Earth and took humans as slaves and livestock in the aftermath.  
    After a long reign over humans, the rule of the Vampires, known as Nobles, has begun to decline.  Wars, infighting, and other events have weakened their Dominion.  Humans have fought back and Bounty Hunters have gotten to work killing the Vampires as well as the mutant monsters they have engineered to live on the post-nuclear Earth. The titular protagonist, named D for which the series is named, is one of those hunters.   
   Vampire Hunter D carries into supernatural horror, which has happened to degrees in the previous Fallout games for some quests.  Vampire Hunter D also paints a picture of how the world could appear if the plot of the main antagonist was carried out in the original Fallout game from 1997.  
      There is a long series of manga and novels on Vampire Hunter D, authored by Hideyuki Kikuchi, and there has been one video game made in 2000, for the Sony PlayStation Console.  The series heavily inspired many elements of the video game series known as Castlevania, such as the Castle collapsing when the Vampire ruling the Castle dies, along with the Castlevania character of Alucard.  All in all, Vampire Hunter D follows a similar theme of humanity working to rebuild new societies after a collapse and subjugation by a powerful faction, and D is similar in many ways to an early Fallout Protagonist in being a catalyst for various occurrences in the world.  All this comes underneath the outer layer of a futuristic sci-fi/horror thriller. 

Planetarian : Storyteller of the Stars

    Just like in various other post-nuclear stories, Planetarium : Storyteller of the Stars has a different twist than most.  You expecting a lone soldier or former police officer?  Or how about a mail carrier portrayed by Kevin Costner?  Or a Steampunk themed kingdom?  Planetarium takes a somewhat different route.  Theatrically released in Japan in 2016, Planetarium features an old man with a pre-apocalyptic film projector, showing people projections of the sky as it appeared in the night prior to the bombs.  The plot becomes more interesting as the old man also becomes engaged in other side quests and adventures of his own as he encounters  friends and hostiles alike in this post-nuclear apocalypse society.  If one wants to take a look at a rather different approach and setting, but nonetheless still post-apocalyptic, then Planetarian may very well be an interesting animated film for you to see.  The film was adapted from the novel Planetarian by Yūichi Suzumoto

Atom RPG

    Carrying on a similar format to the original Fallout games.  Atom RPG is a top down RPG set in a future following a nuclear holocaust.  Similar turn based combat and a wasteland worth of characters to interact with in your Quest are out there waiting for you.  Atom RPG is available for both mobile, as well as for Steam, or even Mac OS on the App Store.  The game is a worthy spiritual successor to the first Fallout games and boasts having a similar semi turn based system.  I’ve been enjoying it a bit in my spare time on my Android smartphone for the last few weeks so excuse my relative absence in new content. 

    As I approach the end of this video recommending similar post-apocalyptic media in the wake of the popular Fallout TV Streaming Series on Amazon Prime, I will be making one fourth episode taking a look at Fallout Fanfilms.  If this video proves to be well-received with quite a number of views, I will consider making a fifth episode near the end of this Year.